(1) Technical Field
The instant disclosure pertains to optical defectors, specifically nano-metallic-planar-apex metamaterial infrared detectors.
(2) Background
Currently silicon based infrared detectors are inefficient because the energy of the infrared incident photons is less than that which causes electron excitation from the valence to the conduction band. Currently detectors for the infrared region are built on substrates of Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) or Germanium (Ga), which have a lower energy bandgap. InGaAs and Ga infrared optical detectors may be difficult to fabricate and may be expensive.
Several approaches to detect infrared light in silicon have been demonstrated over the years, for example, solid-state thin film for infrared-to-visible up-conversion employing lead sulphide colloidal nanocrystals as a sensitizer, pyramidally shaped plasmonic concentrator Schottky detectors, and nonlinear processes such as two-photon absorption.
What is sought is a device capable of efficiently detecting photons in the optical and near-infrared spectral regions. A device utilizing nanoscale arrays may provide a solution to efficient detection of infrared photons utilizing a silicon substrate.